Junior Engineering Technical Society Names New 2009 Board of Directors

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Junior Engineering Technical Society or JETS, one of the nation’s leading non-profit educational organizations dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to America’s youth, announced it has named five new members to its 2009 Board of Directors.

The new JETS directors are:

• Corey Powell, Editor in Chief of Discover Magazine;
• Samuel W. Grossman, PE, F. NSPE, a civil engineer and Project Manager for Chevron and 2009-2010 President of the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE);
• Franklin O. Moore, an expert in pre-college education initiatives at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE);
• Bob Gonzales, a senior human resources executive with the global engineering and construction firm, CH2M Hill; and
• Dr. Costas Vassiliadis, Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Ohio University’s College of Engineering and Technology.

During their three-year terms, the directors will help guide JETS as it expands outreach into U.S. secondary schools of its signature programs, including the annual JETS/AbilityOne National Engineering Design Challenge and TEAMS competition. Both encourage American students to pursue engineering by showing them how it impacts everyday life and how engineers help solve social and community problems.

“On behalf of the current JETS board and executive committee, we are proud and pleased to welcome our new directors to the JETS board,” said Pete Carrato, president of JETS. “From curriculum development and science journalism to engineering and team-building, together these professionals bring a vast depth and breadth of expertise to JETS that will benefit us immensely in our efforts to reach more American students and teachers.”

About JETS

JETS is one of the nation’s leading non-profit educational organizations dedicated to promoting engineering and technology careers to America’s youth. From coordinating exciting student competitions to providing top academic resources and career exploration materials, JETS is helping students make informed decisions about their futures and developing a new generation of engineers.

Each year, JETS programs touch more than 40,000 students and 10,000 educators from 6,000 high schools across the country. JETS participants are a diverse group — more than 50 percent are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in engineering and technology fields, including one-third who are female.

For more information, please visit, www.JETS.org.

SOURCE Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS)